Early life and career

Brown was born in Bethesda, Maryland, the son of Walter Brown and Linda Phillips Brown and was raised in Providence, Rhode Island. He graduated from Moses Brown School in Providence, and from Columbia University in 1993. He received his Juris Doctor from Yale Law School in 2001.

In 1993, Brown helped to start City Year in Rhode Island, the first expansion site of the model national service program that brings together diverse young adults ages 17-24 for a year of full-time community service and leadership development. From 1995-1998, Brown served as Executive Director of City Year Rhode Island.

Secretary of State of Rhode Island

At age 32, in his first campaign for public office, Brown defeated the incumbent Secretary of State in the Democratic primary, and went on to win the general election with 68.7% of the vote.

Brown was the Secretary of State of Rhode Island from 2003 to 2007. He developed Rhode Island’s first Central Voter Registration System, a computerized voter registration system ensuring accurate voter lists and he launched Motor Voter e-Registration, a first-in-the-nation electronic voter registration system. He established new...Read More